Small Colleges #2: Enrollment

Small Colleges #2: Enrollment

Small Colleges

The initial shipping service inward this serial provided an overview of 364 little institutions amongst enrollments of less than 1,000.  

When 1 closes, similar Saint Paul's College inward Virginia did a footling over a twelvemonth ago, at that spot tin live on a flurry of articles sounding similar themes.  As an example, the Chronicle ran an article "College's Closure Signals Problems for Others"  the next calendar month that included a quote from Moody's Investor's Services, “The pending closure is credit negative for a little subset of the higher-education sector amongst similar attributes to Saint Paul’s together with other unopen colleges: real small, private colleges amongst a high reliance on pupil charges, indistinct marketplace positions, together with express donor support,”  Further inward the article, a Moody’s analysts said. “We anticipate to a greater extent than closures for these types of colleges given the electrical current pressures on all higher-education revenue sources together with increased accreditation scrutiny.”

So, how are the small, private colleges fairing?  This 2d shipping service volition focus on changes inward enrollment over the past times decade.  A 3rd shipping service volition follow amongst a expect at changes inward mutual fiscal variables similar tuition, internet price, together with endowments.  I'll together with then accept a quaternary shipping service where I portion my experiences using a duet of fiscal ratios to describe conclusions almost the fiscal wellness of these little colleges.

Enrollment:  Changes inward enrollment are belike the most widely watched variable at most institutions.  This is peculiarly truthful at little colleges where at that spot is footling margin for fault together with tuition is oft the regulation root of revenue.  FTE enrollment provides a mutual mensuration stick amidst institutions that may or may non accept graduate students or others that may or may non accept non accept many part-time students.

FTE enrollment for the little institutions every bit a grouping was real stable  over the 10 twelvemonth period. The nautical chart below together with the tabular array that instantly follows include hateful together with median enrollment figures.

Enrollment across all the institutions increased past times 1,663 or one-tenth of a per centum together with the hateful values exclusively increased past times 1 student.

How create the figures for the little institutions contrast amongst changes during the same menstruum amidst all U.S.A. aeroplane granting institutions? Whether past times blueprint or due to difficulty inward attracting students, the little institutions experienced real small-scale growth inward enrollment when compared amongst the broader mensurate of U.S.A. fte enrollment which increased 23%.

Source: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_307.10.asp

Though enrollment appears stable to modestly higher when looking at the little grouping statistics, at that spot are divergence amidst the little institutions when viewed past times Carnegie classification or when y'all expect at private institutions.  Two hundred-one (201) of the little institutions inward this study reported increasing enrollment for the 10 twelvemonth menstruum together with 158 saw declines inward enrollment. 

Baccalaureate institutions together with the tribal colleges were the ii categories seeing overall declines inward enrollment.  Among the other categories, institutions focusing on medical together with wellness professions, schools of art, music together with design, together with schools of concern or technology scientific discipline recorded double digit increases.

Different patterns of enrollment alter are too sure as shooting evident at the institutional level.  The next tabular array includes the 5 institutions amongst the largest increases together with the 5 amongst the largest decreases for the decade.  In the latter group, Virginia Intermont College unopen this past times spring.  struggled for around time together with possible loss of accreditation.

Thanks for reading together with I certainly look frontward to hearing your thoughts or questions!

Small Colleges: A Reappraisal Of Mutual Wisdom

Small Colleges: A Reappraisal Of Mutual Wisdom

Small Colleges

I genuinely enjoyed reading close Shimer College this past times calendar week inwards Jon Ronson's interesting article for The Guardian.  Shimer, founded inwards 1853, has never had large numbers of students together with patently has fewer than 100 students now.  Yet, it somehow survives together with given the emotional responses of students together with alumni, volition probable do thus for a while.

Ronson mentioned inwards his article that Shimer is the minute smallest establishment at 1 time inwards the U.S....though at that spot are genuinely several to a greater extent than that are smaller.  So, I idea it mightiness live interesting to larn together with percentage a flake to a greater extent than close this usage of our higher pedagogy system.

Watch for several to a greater extent than posts over the side past times side few days.  I'll likewise hold off forrad to hearing your thoughts or questions!

I started this projection past times identifying the 364 populace together with independent institutions with f.t.e enrollments less than 1,000 inwards the 2013-14 academic year.  You tin zoom inwards using the map below to honour their names together with locations.


This grouping excluded for-profits, institutions that move exterior the Carnegie together with IPEDS systems for classification together with information gathering, together with a few institutions with gaps inwards their IPEDS data.  The remaining institutions were together with thus divided into viii groups using their Carnegie basic 2010 classification together with the Summary tabular array below provides the most recent basic information on enrollments together with endowments reported to IPEDS.

There is multifariousness of mission with the institutions, though nearly 80% of these modest schools are either baccalaureate institutions or are classified every bit seminaries, bible colleges, or faith-based institutions.
 

Twenty-five per centum of the institutions seem to live totally subject on tuition together with annual gifts since they do non convey endowments or study endowment returns.  Among the remaining 272 institutions, broad differences inwards wealth are reflected inwards disparities betwixt hateful together with median endowments.

I pulled together with ranked the 10 modest institutions with the largest endowments inwards the next table.  While futurity posts volition render to a greater extent than analysis of the less good off institutions, I mean value it is practiced to yell upwardly this listing when soul makes blanket claims that modest institutions must modify or close.  Some seem to live modest past times design.